PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. said the Philippines is “not poking the bear,” maintaining that the country and its allies are intent on avoiding war amid growing tension and China’s aggressive activities in the South China Sea.
The President, in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, reiterated the Philippines has been pursuing dialogues with concerned parties such as China and trying to keep things peaceful even while defending its territory.
“We want to do everything we possibly can together with our partners and our allies, to avoid that situation. This is not poking the bear, as it were. We are trying to do quite the opposite,” Marcos said when asked how confident he is that the United States is willing to go to war with China over the South China Sea dispute.
The Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines, signed in 1951, binds the two countries to come to each other’s aid in case of foreign invasion or aggression.
China has been harassing Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea which it claims almost in its entirety. It refuses to recognize a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in a case filed by Manila that invalidated its sweeping claim on the disputed waterway under its so-called nine-dash line. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam are claiming parts of it.
“We are trying to keep things at a manageable level, to continue the dialogues, whatever they are, at every level. And we have initiated many of those dialogues, we have dialogues at the sub-ministerial level, at the ministerial level and at the executive level,” Marcos said.
The President also said that while the threat in the South China Sea has “grown,” the Philippines prefers to continue pursuing measures that are recognized by the international community such as the international laws like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He also said that while incursions and occupation of areas within the country’s territory has happened, the Philippines still prefers “to keep it peaceful.”
“We think about peace in the national interest. It is, it does not serve any purpose to heighten tensions,” he said when asked to elaborate about the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).
The President also said that the US has been very supportive of the Philippines and has shown that it takes the MDT very seriously.
“But it is dangerous for one to think in terms of when something goes wrong, we’ll run to Big Brother. That’s not the way we treat it at all. We do this for ourselves. We do this because we feel that we have to do it. And it’s not at the behest of the United States,” he said.
Marcos added that unless there is an “existential threat to the country,” the Philippines will not invoke the MDT.
He also assured China the Philippines would not use any of the military bases in the country, particularly those where the US have access to, to attack China or any other country.
“We have no interest in attacking anything or anyone. Not at all. That is the furthest thing from our mind… we would not allow that unless we’re at war, perhaps. But that’s why we want to keep away from that situation (war) as much as we can for, and maintain that… you could describe it as an uneasy peace, but it’s peace nonetheless,” he added.
Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the US and the Philippines, which was signed in 2014 as a supplementary deal to the existing Visiting Forces Agreement, US troops have access to nine military camps, to use for training and keeping supplies and equipment for humanitarian relief efforts in the country.
‘VEILED THREAT’
The Chinese Embassy in Manila yesterday blasted what it described as the “thinly veiled” threat of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to invoke the MDT amid rising tension in the South China Sea.
“We firmly oppose the groundless accusations made by Secretary Blinken about China’s legitimate and lawful actions in the South China Sea and his thinly veiled threat to invoke the so-called Mutual Defense Treaty obligations,” Chinese Embassy Counselor Ji Lingpeng said in a statement.
“The US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty is a vestige of the Cold War. The military cooperation between the US and the Philippines should not undermine Chinese sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea,” Ji said.
Blinken, in a joint press conference Tuesday in Manila with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, pointed to the recent strengthening of defense ties between Washington and Manila.
“We have a shared concern about actions that threaten our common vision for a free open Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea and in the Philippines exclusive economic zone. These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security and economy. But it’s also critical to the interest of the region, the US, and the world,” he said.
‘GROUP SAIL’
The Philippines, US, and France are due to hold exercise in the West Philippine Sea under the “Balikatan” exercise which will formally open on April 22 and end on May 8.
Balikatan executive agent Col. Michael Logico said three Philippine Navy ships will be involved in training to be held under the “group sail” phase of the annual exercise.
“The participants will be the Philippine Navy, the US Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, US Coast Guard, and French Navy,” Logico told a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday.
Logico could not immediately say how many ships will participate on the side of the US Navy and US Coast Guard.
He said Navy and coast guard ships from the three countries will be engaged in gunnery exercise; and visit, board, search and seizure exercises, among others, during the group sail.
“It (group sail) will be actually happening in the earlier part of the exercise,” said Logico, referring to the Balikatan which will formally open on April 22 and will end on May 8.
“The message that we want to send is that we are serious about defending our territory and we have allies, that’s basically it and the alliance is still going strong,” said Logico when ask what message the military wanted to send by holding the group sail in the West Philippine Sea.
Logico said the Balikatan will be focused on territorial defense.
“Balikatan exercise is a demonstration of our combat readiness. The real intent is to deter, and if we cannot deter, we will defend. And when we defend, the objective is to win,” he said.
Asked how they expect China to react to the group sail, Logico said, “All countries, big or small, have the right to defend themselves. This right is absolute and inalienable.”
“We are not going deterred by how other countries think about what we are doing. I want to make that clear because you cannot defend the country (if you are) worried about what other people are thinking,” he added.
Logico said some 16,000 troops from US and the Philippines will participate in this year’s Balikatan – 11,000 from US and 5,000 from the Philippine side — less compared to last year’s 17,600 Filipino and American troops.
CHINESE VESSELS
The military said six Chinese Coast Guard vessels and eight Chinese maritime militia vessels were at the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal as of Tuesday afternoon. China gained control of the shoal in 2012 after a standoff with Philippine government vessels.
At Ayungin Shoal, there was one Chinese Coast Guard vessel and six Chinese fishing vessels; Pag-asa Island, one Chinese Coast Guard, six Chinese fishing vessels, and a Chinese Navy ship; and Lawak Island, one Chinese fishing.
Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said the number of Chinese ships at Scarborough Shoal is not that alarming.
Officials have earlier said about two to three Chinese ships usually operates in Scarborough Shoal area. — With Ashzel Hachero and Victor Reyes
